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The Mentalist Review: Narrowing the List

Has anyone else thought that the CBI may be one of the most corrupt branches of law enforcement we've ever seen on TV?

Red John has his moles within the agency. Volkner has his informants. Sometimes, it's felt like half of the staff has been working for the bad guys. Members of the CBI, including two directors, have been shot by their own people or other members of law enforcement.

I knew law enforcement was dangerous, but the CBI has taken it to a whole new level. With "The Red Barn," it was revealed that Ray Haffner is a member of Visualize. While that's not illegal, it's certainly walking the edge of unethical.

Perhaps Lisbon should consider moving on, if not for her own safety then to ensure that Rigsby never again throws her a surprise party.

If I'd ever doubted that Rigsby was an idiot, which I never have, the party with the male stripper solidified that impression. Anyone who's known Lisbon for more than a week could tell she'd hate everything about that idea. Jane knew. Cho knew. But not Rigsby.

Fortunately, three dead bodies and a Red John smiley face were probably enough to make her forget a drunken Rigsby singing karaoke.

The expression on Jane's face when he saw that symbol on the barn was almost painful. Finding that symbol meant that Red John started killing long before anyone knew of him. Long before Jane's family was killed. And Jane's using that information to narrow down his search.

Now we know that there's a link between Red John and Visualize. Now Jane knows that Red John was on that farm in 1988. Jane has narrowed a list of 2,164 people down to 408. This new information will help him whittle that down until Red John is almost within reach.

Overall, I had a few favorite moments in this episode...

First was Jane playing with the Golden Retriever. The man really should get himself a pet. Unfortunately that will probably have to wait until Red John is caught, just like everything else in his life.

Second was Grace's discussion with the priest about Visualize:

What's wrong with wanting to be the most powerful version of you you can be? | permalink

Could Grace still be struggling with her own demons since her fiance's betrayal? Does this The Mentalist quote hint that she could fall prey to Visualize? To Red John? I'd love it if Grace went undercover at Visualize to try and gain more information about their connection to Red John but is she strong enough to keep up that type of charade?

Finally, the best moment of the night was Lisbon standing outside Jane's door asking why he wouldn't let her in.

Her simple question demolished Jane's resolve to keep her at arms' length.

Jane has been running his own investigation. He has his own murder board and his own Red list and it's getting smaller by the day. If Jane and Lisbon truly work together, how long will it be before they narrow it down to Red John?

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hi there!not reading the new thread yet as I haven't seen the episode, drives me nuts to wait for a link! well I thought about inducing relaxation too and of course he does. I mean other than because it could remind him of his wife, sex is relaxing, you don't need to be in love to induce that kind of relaxation in my opinion and I guess it's even more true (truer?) for men. I love your theory about the pj and 3 piece suit!

rationalgal•February 18, 2013 05:36

bonaduz, I'm sure Jane does "induce relaxation" occasionally. He says he talks to his wife (in his imagination, of course) and he feels her loss intensely. Very likely that "relaxation" is a way of remembering the love they had. It is so beautiful yet so sad to think how lonely and bereft of that love Jane is. I do so hope the series ends with the certaintly that he will have that love again. Of course, the only one who could give that to him is Lisbon. They are already a hand in glove fit for one another.

bonaduz•February 18, 2013 04:41

KM and mimi: thank's for the birthday wishes. We had a really good time - didn't catch any fish though! Mimi, glad you had a good laugh at Miranda's death.LOL! Rationalgal: I didn't look at the three-piece like that before. But now that you say it out loud, it totally makes sense. All this stuff that you guys come up with! I wonder, if the writers really thought all of this through - I mean all these little details (like clothing, jewellery etc.)? Huisclothes: Why would Jane not er....induce relaxation? He's just a man after all!!!LOL

@rationalgal good point about the pajamas. i thought they were a little douche-y and found it strange that he would pack them -- one of the big plot holes is how the cbi travels all over california by car, gets back to the office for a convo and then back to some distant crime scene. in red moon, they stay in the motel. teresa has her over-size (some sport) tee shirt. patrick has nothing. what does grace have? but you make the perfect observation. when i see a guy who can't sleep, i always think they're going to er...induce relaxation. can't imagine patrick doing that. who would he fantasize about? anyway, the 3 piece suits were brilliant in that they show you a guy who is hidden beneath many layers. more than other men. that's why the tiniest glimpse of any part of him makes me feel like a victorian guy seeing an ankle. a real perv.

rationalgal•February 18, 2013 00:10

Hi all! Just stopping in again before tonight's new ep. Some comments: 1. Re Daily Show, Simon probably appeals to gay men as well as all women (a lesbian friend loves the show) and straight guys can see this. In the Paley Center video the host introduced Simon by saying he was so dreamy he expected his stepfather to come out of the closet. 2. Re Jane's pajamas, I loved them. After all, what else would a guy who wears 3-piece suits wear to bed? I see symbolism here. Jane's clothing suggests a need/desire to hide one's real self (as he said in the pilot and to Todd Johnson). He adopted 3-piece suits only after leaving the mental hospital. He took off his vest (but not his shirt) only to build a sand castle). His clothing is a suit of armor to keep people at a distance. He took off the vest in Las Vegas to show he was now vulnerable, much as animals do to show submission and end a fight. We should watch for more of this stuff as the series winds down.

mimi•February 17, 2013 21:15

yes I agree, he'd be amazing in such a role! yes I'll have to wait longer, the episode is broadcast at 7 am for me but of course I don't have CTV so I'll have to wait for someone to upload it online usually in the morning or afternoon (depends, hope I'll find a link quickly) so hopefully by midday I'll have seen it and will comment on here when I have.I'm soon off, it's 10.15 pm here so I'll see you tomorrow to discuss the episode (tonight for you)!!! yeahhhhh

huisclothes•February 17, 2013 21:07

he would play it more like sean connery, the original but bring his own spin to it. anyway, i think he would be great in some kind of spy movie. he always talks about wishing there was a script like to catch a thief (cary grant/grace kelly) a caper movie with a lot of humor and glamour. that would be perfect for him. he could have played anything cary grant played and that's saying a lot. my hub is about to take me to fairway which is the disneyland of food here. gigantic, with every exotic and non-exotic food know to man. i love to cook. must figure out what to make for menty night. something special. will check back in in an hour or so. do you get menty tonight? or do you have to wait?

mimi•February 17, 2013 20:59

ahah love your theory of the lizard brain, mmm food for thought.. yes Rigsby is quite tall, dunno about Simon playing 007, not sure it would suit him..wow and you don't feel tired? so you work better at night?